


Catching Monsters

by rustandstardust



Category: Final Fantasy XIII Series, Final Fantasy XIII-2
Genre: Gen, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-18
Updated: 2012-04-18
Packaged: 2017-11-03 20:33:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/385647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rustandstardust/pseuds/rustandstardust
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Serah loves naming the monsters they catch, and gifting them each with accessories. Noel doesn't understand.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Catching Monsters

**Author's Note:**

> The fact that you can catch and name monsters in XIII-2 just seems so silly to me if you break it down to pure logistics - every time they defeat a monster, they are stopping in their journey to name it and put bow ties and flowers on it. I imagine it goes something like this.

“Oh, that little purple one is an Imp, I think I read about them in textbooks…shortly after Coccoon fell, a man went around and tried to catalogue a lot of the common monsters. He called these ones “Spooks”. That one, there, with dark blue body and red-tipped wings is a Fachan, and the little guy with grey wings is a Gremlin, I think…” Serah said, picking up each of the little monsters in turn and petting their heads. “Aren’t they precious, Noel? What will we name them?”

“Serah..you wanna name ‘em? I mean…really?” Noel asked incredulously, poking at the Gremlin with the toe of his boot and receiving an angry flap of its wings in response. “I mean…what do you name monsters?”

Serah giggled. “I don’t think he likes you poking him, Noel!” Indeed, the little menace was batting at Noel’s exposed leg with the sharp tips of its wings.

“I think we should call them all Little Menace. Little Grey Menace, Little Blue Menace, and Little Purple Menace. Those would be the most accurate names, Serah, honestly.” Noel mumbled, scooping up the Fachan and looking it straight in its eye. “This one looks crazy, Serah, I don’t trust him…I think we should let him go. Little Blue Menace is only gonna bring trouble.”

“Oh, hush. He looks fine. You’re just not holding him right!” she chastised, reaching out and adjusting Noel’s hold on the soft little body, placing his hand under it, near its legs, and the other behind its head. “There…like a baby! See…he likes that.” Noel looked down at the dark blue creature in his arms and had a sudden thought that he must look absolutely ridiculous; the monster was laying on its back like Serah’s cat had, waiting for a hand to rub its belly, and when Noel poked it, it let out a weird growling noise that sounded more contented than infuriated. Noel rolled his eyes.

“That one is Casanova, look, he’s so charming!” she said, kissing the scaly blue monster on its head, just above its oily-looking eye.

“What about that one?” Noel sighed, gesturing at the Gremlin Serah had just picked up. “He looks soft and fluffy…kinda like those nice pillows you had back in New Bodhum at the NORA house. You wanna name him something silly, like Pillow Baby?”

There was a sharp ‘ku _po_  from Mog, and Noel laughed. “What, Mog, you don’t like that name? Oh, is it too much like your name? Piggy Kitty? Hey, hey –  _ow_!” he said, rubbing his head gingerly where Mog had just smacked him with his staff. “But if you guys had similar names, you could be best friends…you’re both white and soft looking…” he added, dodging another hit from the angry moogle.

“I agree with Mog, Noel, that’s a terrible name!” Serah laughed, tickling the monster where its wing met its body and grinning when it fluttered happily. “Oh, I think his name should be Marshy!”

Noel just stared for a moment. “Marshy, Serah? Didn’t we meet a woman working with Hope’s team named ‘Marcy’? Did you like the name that much?” 

“No…Marshy, with an ‘s-h’. He’s all white and fluffy-looking, Noel!” she explained, tickling along what Noel hoped was the monster’s stomach and cooing at it. “Just like a marshmallow…but we won’t roast you on a fire, will we, little guy, no we won’t…!” Noel wondered vaguely what a marshmallow was, but before he could ask she had scooped up another one into her arms, the one she’d said was an Imp.

“Hmm…what about you, huh?” she asked thoughtfully, cocking her head to the side to think. She was so cute like this, Noel thought briefly, talking to the monsters like they were a class of her kids, treating them so sweetly when she could have just as easily chased them all off. She was kind, he’d noticed. He liked that.

“Noel…hello? What do you think? I named two, you should name one!” Serah said, clasping the Imp’s wing in one of her hands and smiling at it. “What do you think, Noel?” 

Noel really couldn’t have cared either way what the names of the monsters were, but Serah’s smile was too addictive. He thought for a few moments, running over the names of people he’d known, the stories he’d grown up listening to, everything. The purple reminded him of Caius, with a sharp stab of fury and hurt, and he contemplated how amusing it would be to have a little monster named after the mentor that betrayed him following them around. He dismissed that thought with a bitter laugh.

“I told you, ‘Little Purple Menace’ is the best name. But…if you won’t listen to reason and name him what I suggested…how about Adrian?” Noel said with a grin. “I met some guard at Hope’s encampment…he was kind of a tool. I liked his name, though. So let’s name this little guy Adrian.” At Noel’s words, the little purple Imp jumped out of Serah’s arms and fell to the ground, bowing down before Noel briefly before sitting down on top of his foot, its lone eye swirling around in its socket to look up at him. He guessed it was some odd gesture of obedience, or maybe affection. 

“Marshy, Casanova, and Adrian…” Serah began, setting them all down at Noel’s feet and crouching down to speak to them. “You’ll come when I call, won’t you? Do you promise, little ones? Sometimes I’ll need your help, and I’ll be very sad if you don’t come help me!”

“Kupo!” Mog said emphatically, alighting to the ground before them and pacing back and forth with his clock staff over his shoulder, the very picture of some of the old military regimes he’d seen perusing the stack of old magazines he’d found at NORA house. “Kupo, kupo,  _kupo_.” Mog said, tapping each of the monsters on the head lightly. They bowed to him, and when their odd little ceremony was complete Mog flew back up to flutter near Serah’s shoulder.

“Serah…you’re not gonna put those on them, are you?” he asked incredulously, looking at the monsters, expecting them to protest, but instead they hopped around on their little legs around her, like they were pleading for their accessories.

She knelt down again, and they all hopped towards her with odd, stunted little movements. The one she’d named Casanova was pushy, clamoring to the front of the crowd and letting out what Noel swore was its garbled monster version of a laugh when the one called Marshy flopped down onto the ground. “Little Casanova gets the bow tie…so handsome! Hmm..Marshy gets this headdress, and that leaves the little hat for Adrian…oh how cute, Noel!” she said, cooing again. “Now we can get going.”

As he set off in the direction they’d been headed in with Serah following behind, leading a trail of monsters behind her and Mog floating along beside him, he really wondered if they’d have to stop to name each and every monster Serah found. 


End file.
